I don't particularly like to dabble in politics. The Dirty Bird, my regular column, is the sex column on Page 2. Sure, individual politics likely play a role in individual sexual choices, but I believe there should be little global overlap between the two realms; and let me assure you, I much prefer sex to politics.
Unfortunately, the Wisconsin GOP continues to pursue the personal as political, intruding ever more blatantly into our individual bedrooms. We've already witnessed the attempted repeal of the Healthy Youth Act in favor of abstinence-based "education," widely shown to be good for little except ignorance and hatemongering. Sen. Mary Lazich, R-New Berlin, and Rep. Michelle Litjens, R-Oshkosh, now offer up the Coercive and Webcam Abortion Prevention Action Act, which I don't think is actually a thing so much as a bunch of random words strung together. And the most poppable cherry on top of it all: Rep. Andre Jacque's, R-Bellevue, "personhood amendment," granting "personhood" to fertilized eggs.
Jacque says his bill is a "declaration that our inalienable rights extend from the moment of conception," and "every human being at any stage of development" deserves such rights. Meanwhile, Lazich and Litjens' bill serves to "save the lives of babies and protect the health of women." Oh, how nice.
I'm not going to explain why these bills will cost money and lives. Some of my fellow pro-choice, pro-women's health activists will do that ably and admirably, and I am truly thankful for their patient efforts.
However, that kind of debate assumes the terms that have been set forth by Jacque and company are straightforward and authentic. They are neither.
For the terms to be framed correctly, Jacque must come clean about the fact that the inclusion of Wisconsin women under "every human being" comes with fine print.
He must stop hiding behind "life!" and "babies!" and "rights!" and admit that in his proposal "inalienable" rights are alienable depending on a "person's" uterine contents. Perhaps even potential uterine contents, given that the precise moment of fertilization is not ascertainable by any technology known to humankind.
Litjens must explain that her bill says women are simply not smart enough or significant enough to make decisions about what should happen to our bodies and our lives.
Lazich must tell her female constituents she thinks they cannot be trusted to make reproductive choices without government supervision.
Personhood activists must stand up and say that no woman deserves happiness, liberty, or even life-even life-if those pursuits do not include fetal preservation at any cost.
So-called pro-lifers must cop to the fact that "every life is precious!" really means "life is only precious until it spreads its legs or gets itself raped, you whore, and now you're less of a person than the two cells that occupy your uterus."
These are the declarations these bills are really making. So, Jacque, Lazich and Litjens, stop misrepresenting the things you're asking us to support. Stop pretending women matter to you when our health and our lives will be collateral damage in the holy name of zygotes if your legislation should pass.
Stop portraying yourselves as crusaders for human rights when the rights you seek to extend will permit you to deprive half the state of ours.
Stop representing yourselves as noble protectors of human life and health when you and your most vocal supporters would slaughter BadgerCare, eliminate medically accurate health education from Wisconsin schools, shield pharmaceutical companies from lawsuits when their products cause deaths, allow people to carry loaded firearms without any training in their use and kill bills helping child abuse victims bring their molesters to justice.
Stop acting as though you seek to rectify coercion and oppression when those are the underpinnings of your each and every word.
Jacque is right about one thing: there are some human beings in our society who are not unconditionally considered persons worthy of rights. We are called women. And we are not fooled by the fraudulent terms set forth by proponents of these bills.
The debate to be had here is not whether two-celled embryos deserve to enjoy "personhood"-it's whether Wisconsin women do.
Erica Andrist is a third-year medical student at UWSMPH. Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
